Alpha Recovery Adds New 8x4 DAF XF With Boniface Recoverer Trident Bodywork
Alpha Recovery, a 24-hour rescue and recovery specialist based in Northumberland, recently added an 8x4 DAF XF FAD truck with a massive gross trailer weight (GTW) of 150 tonnes (165 U.S. tons) to its fleet. Alpha plans to keep the vehicle, which represents a £340,000 investment for the company, in operation for at least 10 years, but it could have a lifespan as long as 30 years due to the “relatively low mileage associated with recovery work,” DAF explains.
Supplied by Stockton-on-Tees dealer Evans Halshaw, the special XF has a Super Space Cab designed for maximum operator comfort and Boniface’s stainless-steel Recoverer Trident bodywork. The truck’s Maxireach K Boom has a boom rating of 45 t (50 U.S. t) and a 33-t (36-U.S.-t) under-lift capacity. It also features Snap-On tooling.
Welcome To The Family
Alpha Recovery is no stranger to the DAF brand; the new XF joins an XF 530 6x4 truck in a FAT configuration already in operation and featuring a Dyson CL500H Commander Recovery Unit completed by Worcestershire-based Roger Dyson Group. The company also owns a number of DAF LF trucks, including a mix of 3.5, 10-, and 16-t (3.9-, 11-, and 17.6-U.S.-t) models that handle van and recovery applications, and has another 16-tonner on the way.
One non-DAF outlier is an 8x6 Leyland DROPS ex-military truck converted for use as a recovery vehicle. Alpha Recovery’s Michael Burke says the truck is a favourite at the depot in spite of the fact that its spartan interior offers drivers “zero comfort.”
New Meets Old
“The new DAF XF Boniface combination really is built to last,” says Michael Burke of Alpha Recovery. “The build quality is unmatched and we’ll have the truck working on our fleet for 10 years. It’s a significant initial outlay, but it’ll certainly earn its keep and the used market for recovery equipment like this is very strong, so we’ll get an excellent return on it.
“It’s great to have such an amazing new piece of kit on the fleet, and next to the old 8x6 Leyland DROPS truck, the XF looks so modern,” Burke continues. “But the Leyland is my favourite truck. The cab is basic, to say the least, because of its military past, so it has absolutely zero comfort. But, it’s a brilliant performer with excellent off-road capability, and it’s still a working truck for us.”
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Source: DAF